A North Korean source in Ryanggang Province reported recently that electricity rates in the province have risen considerably over the past several months, a development that has led to frustration among local residents.
“Electricity rates rose to KPW 370 [less than one US cent] per kilowatt during the second half of last year, but the authorities have been forcing payments of an additional KPW 1,000 to 2,000 [around 10 – 20 US cents] per electronic item since the very end of last year,” the source told Daily NK on Apr. 22.
In the past, North Korean families in the province paid relatively small amounts of money for their electricity, only KPW 50-100 [less than one US cent] per kilowatt. Moreover, many families consumed only small amounts of electricity, which meant, on average, they paid just a couple hundred KPW during each payment period.
In general, however, North Korean families have increasingly bought more and more electronics and are using solar panels to satisfy their energy needs.
Meanwhile, North Korean authorities have campaigned to keep electricity use down, likening saving electricity with being “patriotic.”
Even North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has encouraged people to use less electricity, arguing that it “greatly disrupts” the building of a “strong socialist country.”
From last year, some parts of the country, including Ryanggang Province, have experimented with a new electricity payment system to help reduce “wasted electricity.”
The new system has seen a rise in electricity rates along with the implementation of a sliding scale that levies specific levels of payments on particular electronics items.
Inminban leaders are ordered by local district offices to collect the electricity fees from each home in their district and while some turn a blind eye to those who cannot or will not pay, other officials “take it upon themselves to collect every dime and penny and this leads to arguments,” the source said.
Part of the reason the arguments break out is because families find it ridiculous that they have to pay for electricity when they have installed their own solar panels and are using energy derived from them.
North Korean authorities, however, believe that families are using state-supplied power to power their devices when their solar panel-supplied power fails to provide enough energy, the source said.
North Korea experimented with increasing electricity rates back in 2013 when it implemented an electricity fee system that required North Koreans to pay KPW 5,000 (around 50 US cents) per quarter, but this led to severe push back and the system was soon dismantled.
Another Daily NK source in Ryanggang Province reported that some families unable to afford high electronic rates understate the number of electronic devices in their homes or even claim that the devices are broken to reduce their electricity payments levied by the government.
“They claim the devices registered with the authorities have either broken down or were sold off to avoid paying the fees,” the source said. “Inminban leaders know why people do this, but they nonetheless are responsible for collecting fees on registered devices.”
*Currency values in USD are rough estimates
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